Vending machines are a simple way in which to provide snacks, drinks, or other goods and services to a general audience that passes by the vending machine. While most vending machines sell sodas and snacks, some vending machines have also been contemplated for other uses, such as selling insurance, dispensing tickets, or the like.
It is common for a vending machine to be serviced by an individual to restock the vending machine with the elements that are dispensed therefrom. To minimize unnecessary costs, many vending machines now have an internal communication circuit through which the vending machine reports vending machine data, such as sales, inventory, and status to a remote location. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,181,981 and 5,207,784. In the initial implementations of these communication circuits, a landline was required and the vending machine communicated over the PSTN, such as through a modem or the like.
Subsequent developments have included TCP/IP interfaces on vending machines, but have still required a landline connection between the remote location and the vending machine. A more recent evolution in the vending machine world is the use of a cellular communication circuit that communicates vending machine data wirelessly through a cellular network to a remote location. This however, requires that the vending machine be positioned in a place that has cellular coverage.
As vending machines become more ubiquitous, there is an increasing likelihood that the vending machine may be in a position where it is difficult to provide a land-based telephone line or be within acceptable cellular coverage. Remote locations may lack cellular coverage, and it may also be cost prohibitive to run a landline to the vending machine. Likewise, building basements and parking structures may have difficulty receiving adequate cellular coverage and be unwilling to install additional landlines so that the vending machine may communicate with the remote location.
Thus, there remains a need for a vending machine that may communicate to a remote location without reliance on a landline or cellular coverage.